PUBLIC perception towards waste separation at source has to change if the lifespan of landfills is to be extended.

The Sungai Sedu landfill in Banting was to have ceased operations in June. Due to the scarcity of landfills in Selangor, Sungai Sedu remains open for municipal waste from Sepang and Putrajaya, a federal territory.

A pilot project to separate solid waste initiated in Putrajaya on Aug 29 by the Housing and Local Government Ministry aims to reduce the waste sent to landfills nationwide by 40%.

Changing the mindset: Safian (right) and Muhamad Zubir distributing flyers on the waste separation at source pilot project in Putrajaya.

“The Solid Waste Management Act 2007 stresses on recycling and has a special allocation for waste separation at source,” emphasised Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha at the launch.

PPj city services chief assistant director Muhamad Zubir Saran said the collection schedule for organic waste was on Monday and Thursday while recyclables were picked up Monday.

“The ministry has loaned PPJ a compacter for the waste separation project and a lorry for collecting recyclables since the launch of the recycling project in 2004,” he added.

Up it goes: Mondays and Thursdays are organic waste collection days under the waste separation at source pilot

project in select housing precincts in Putrajaya.

Recyclables only amount to 5% of the solid waste collected in Putrajaya, amounting to 14,378 tonnes in 2008. The ministry has set a target to increase recycled waste nationwide from 5% to 22% by 2020. Solid waste produced by an individual in Putrajaya averages to 0.5kg to 1.5kg per person.

Jalan P9B & P9D Neighbourhood Watch committee member Safian Md Salleh said while the waste separation at source initiative was to be applauded, the biggest hurdle lay with changing mindsets.

“We are dealing with old habits here where people, especially those from villages, are used to discarding refuse under the banana tree. It is a good start but I foresee a long process.”

Working with PPj, the committee has been distributing flyers to educate the chosen households on the proper solid waste separation methods.

“The feedback received is that the process is cumbersome but necessary once the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 is enforced come February 2010,” added Safian.

Precinct 9 resident and community chef Roslan Adnan has his work cut out for him when the need arises for communal cooking. With the two-bin system, he needs to separate cooked food and gravy.

“It takes getting used to but once you develop a habit, I don’t think it is so difficult. It takes maybe 30 seconds more but residents need to consider the overall impact including the state of our landfills,” he suggested.

(Left) A little effort: Roslan putting his recyclables into one of the mini bins sponsored by Konsortium SSI-Schaefer for selected kitchens in Putrajaya.

Under the pilot project, PPj has also identified a 0.6ha site in Precinct 20 for solid waste composting, to be jointly maintained by UiTM and Alam Flora. Funding will come from the ministry.

The ministry is also exploring suitable alternatives like vermiculture, a method of composting by breeding a species of earthworms.

Back in 2004, Putrajaya was selected as the national model for a recycling project, implemented by supplying residential areas with recycling bags, setting up recycling kiosks at apartments and establishing collection centres at government or private buildings and all 16 primary and secondary schools

While we should applaud the government's move to address solid waste separation, few issues needs to be tackled:

1. What is the communication strategy employed to create awareness to the grassroots?

2. If just in Putrajaya, xxx kg of waste is generated daily, I wonder what is happening to the various natural areas, such as Marine Parks, National Parks, recreation spots where urban folks tend to pollute?

3. What would it take for Malaysians to move from "Throw away Society" to "Reuse, Recycle, Reduce Society"? Enforcement through the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 to be enforced Feb 2010.

4. Personally, I believe this is a small step, but it is too little …. too late.

Another "pilot project"? When are we going to go beyond pilot projects to actually implementing waste segregation? As the story says, a pilot project was done in Putrajaya some years ago. Why are we repeating it? Just like "task force", "pilot project" appears to be the government's solution for all problems.

Yes, Cheng Li, fully agreed. From my experience, pilot projects never take off in a big way. The fate of this “Pilot Project” remains to be seen. As it is under the nose of the PM, lets see if the outcome/output goes unnoticed at the end of the project term. You get the idea, right?